


Mystery at Sea

by Kyarorain



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-22
Updated: 2011-01-22
Packaged: 2017-10-15 11:17:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/160283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyarorain/pseuds/Kyarorain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ash sets out to investigate a mysterious island that has appeared, little knowing what lies in store for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Mystery at Sea

x-o-x-o-x

So, I'm starting a new fic. It's set after the end of Diamond and Pearl and before the beginning of Best Wishes.

Game Freak owns Pokémon.

x-o-x-o-x

Ash had been walking through the Pokémon reserve, which was located at the back of Professor Oak's laboratory, and had found himself in the farthest reaches of the reserve's boundaries. The ground here was much more solid and rocky and there were tall structures surrounding the place. He caught sight of a rope ladder hanging down from one of the cliffs and stopped, staring at it.

"Hm, I wonder what this is, Pikachu?" he asked, glancing at the electric mouse Pokémon who sat upon his shoulder. "Well, I guess we should take a look, huh?" The young Pokémon trainer took hold of the ladder and easily scaled the cliff, reaching the top in less than a minute. When he got there, he caught sight of someone familiar standing there with a pair of binoculars in his hands and peering through them.

"Hey, Tracey. I was wondering where you had gone." Ash walked up to the older boy who lowered the binoculars and turned to face him.

"Hi, Ash. I'm just doing a bit of sightseeing. This is one of the highest cliffs in the reserve so it makes a good lookout point," Tracey responded.

"Ah, I see. So, you spotted anything interesting?" Ash inquired.

"Well, I did notice something rather strange." Tracey turned away, looking into the distance where the nearby sea could be seen. "Though it wasn't in the reserve."

"Well, what was it?" Ash asked, sounding almost impatient. "Was it a rare Pokémon?"

"No, it's not a Pokémon. It's just... well, I could almost swear it looks like an island out to sea," Tracey replied.

"Okay." Ash's face was completely blank. "Well, what's so interesting about that?" He felt a pang of disappointment at knowing Tracey hadn't seen a rare Pokémon after all. Now that his journey in Sinnoh had come to an end, he was really hoping to see some more new Pokémon from another region. It would be awfully exciting for him. He hadn't even decided where he was going on his next journey yet.

"It definitely wasn't there before." Tracey looked almost troubled. "I've been up here and looked out to the sea plenty of times and never seen the island before even on the clearest days. It's like that island came out of nowhere but how could that even be possible?"

Now this definitely sounded more interesting. "An island that suddenly appeared out of nowhere one day?" Excitement was slowly creeping into Ash's voice. "Supposing it might have never before seen Pokémon on it? I've got to see this mysterious island for myself. Who knows what might be there?"

"You want to take a look through the binoculars?" Tracey offered them to Ash, who took them and put them to his eyes. "It's just there, see?" He pointed toward the sea and Ash swung the binoculars around until he could see the blurry form of what certainly could be an island.

"Wow, it looks pretty big," Ash said in awe. "Oh yeah, I've just got to check this island out." He handed the binoculars back to Tracey.

"I take it you're going there? You don't have a boat to get there though," Tracey pointed out.

Ash rubbed his chin intently for a few seconds as he thought about it then his eyes lit up. "Aha, I got it. I just have to make a phone call." He walked back to the rope ladder and quickly clambered down.

Tracey watched him hurry off and shook his head, smiling in bemusement. "Ash really does get excited about the smallest things," he said to himself.

x-o-x-o-x

Ash raced into the living room back at the laboratory where Professor Oak and his mother, Delia, were currently conversing over cups of coffee and a plate of freshly baked cookies. He stopped to lean over and catch his breath before speaking. "Professor Oak, is it alright if I use your phone?"

"Sure you can. How come you're in such a hurry anyway?" Professor Oak asked. "You look like you ran a long way."

"Oh, well, Tracey was just telling me about this island that appeared at sea," Ash explained. "It just appeared all of a sudden one day."

"That certainly sounds very mysterious," Delia said. "I suppose you're thinking of going to look, aren't you?"

"You're sure it's an island?" Professor Oak smiled wryly. "It could be a Snorlax just floating on the sea."

"No way," Ash protested. "It's far too big to be a Snorlax. I'm going to go out there and see if there are some rare Pokémon to be found. I can't possibly ignore something like this." He walked to the phone and tapped in a number.

"Once he gets an idea in his head, there's no changing his mind." Delia sipped at the coffee mug, watching Ash as he spoke animatedly to the phone's video screen.

"Indeed. I wonder how something like this could be possible though. An island just appearing one day?" Professor Oak looked thoughtful. "It's quite a mystery alright."

x-o-x-o-x

"Are you sure you've got everything you need?" Delia asked as Ash came down the stairs with his backpack. "I've got some food ready for you to pack in case you're going to be there a while."

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm used to travelling, you know. Besides, I'm not going to be there that long," Ash reasoned.

"Well, be careful, alright? You don't know what's out there after all." Delia headed into the kitchen and returned with an armful of cartons and bags of food.

Ash frowned slightly as he saw all the food. "Don't you think that's a lot?"

"You don't know what will happen out there and it's always good to be prepared," Delia said. "Besides, you do have quite an appetite sometimes."

"Hm. Fair enough, I guess." Ash took the food and placed it into his backpack. "I'm gonna wait outside." He slung it on his back and stepped out the front door, making his way to the porch and sitting down. "Are you excited, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed enthusiastically.

"I wonder what we might find on that mysterious island." Ash looked in the direction of the sea, smiling. "I'm sure there's something interesting out there."

The two sat there for a while, Ash talking about whatever came to his mind until eventually Pikachu exclaimed and pointed at the sky. Ash looked up and saw a familiar figure in the sky coming toward them.

"Hey, Charizard!" Ash jumped off the porch, waving his arms above his head. The fire Pokémon saw him and happily released a blast of flames from its mouth which spiralled down and engulfed him. "Ugh... now I'm well done," Ash stuttered out, collapsing to the ground.

Charizard came to rest on the ground and Ash got up to hug him. "It's good to see you again, Charizard." Pikachu walked up and happily greeted Charizard. "Alright, so you're gonna take me out to that island out at sea. It's not too far from here so it won't take long."

The large fire lizard nodded in understanding. Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and Ash clambered onto Charizard's back.

Delia opened the door and looked out. "You're going now? Take care." She waved.

"See you later," Ash called back, as Charizard started flapping its wings. It launched off into the air and whirled around, heading out to the sea. Ash scanned the horizon until he caught sight of the dark shape. "There it is!"

As Charizard came even closer to their destination, Ash could just about make out a flat land mass covered with trees. It didn't look like anything spectacular but there had to be something special about this island that could appear out of nowhere and he was going to find it.

Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind struck Charizard, causing it to fly back. Ash hurriedly grabbed Pikachu as he toppled off his shoulder and held him to his chest. "You okay, Charizard?"

Charizard nodded and flapped its wings harder, trying again. Even more gusts of wind buffeted the lizard Pokémon.

"You can do it, Charizard!" Ash urged, holding on tightly. They were so close now and he was sure they could make it. "It's not much further!" He squinted against the fierce wind, looking at the island. What was this wind? It was almost as if the island was trying to prevent them from reaching it, but why?

Charizard strained hard to break through the wind. Beads of sweat dripped down its skin as it struggled to stay up in the air. The wind was beating so hard upon it that it was a struggle just to keep afloat.

"Charizard," Ash mumbled in concern. Charizard was weakening fast and they hadn't made much progress. The wind was incredibly strong and he was having a hard time just staying on Charizard's back. Perhaps they would be better off just turning around and returning to Pallet Town. He could find another way to get to that island.

Ash was about to issue the order when Charizard suddenly started to plummet toward the sea. "Charizard!" he exclaimed in horror. If Charizard hit the water, then it would be seriously injured if not worse. "Charizard, pull up!"

Charizard's eyes were closed and it didn't even seem to notice his loud cries. The water was fast approaching and it obviously wasn't going to wake up in time. Ash did the only thing he could in that situation. He took out Charizard's Poké Ball, which he had taken out earlier in case he had reason to recall it later on, and recalled it into its Poké Ball.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu said worriedly as Ash fell toward the ocean with him tightly clutched in his arms.

"Just hold your breath." Ash drew in a large gulp of air and waited for the impact. He hit the surface hard, causing a massive spray of water, and the current dragged him down even further. Ash turned upright and kicked his legs furiously. The surface was already far above him. The current was incredibly strong and it took a considerable effort just to move upward.

He had already been trying to reach the surface for half a minute and it didn't seem like he was making much progress. Ash gritted his teeth, pumping his legs even harder. At this rate he was going to get tired. Just a little bit more and he would be there. Was this island really trying to stop him from reaching it?

Bubbles flowed out from his mouth and nose as his breath started escaping him. His chest was starting to burn. If he didn't make it, then not only him but Pikachu, they would both drown. He needed to make it. They were almost there.

Ash couldn't hold on any longer and he opened his mouth, seeing a cloud of bubbles form before his face. His surroundings began to grow dark and his eyes slid shut.


	2. Chapter 2

x-o-x-o-x

Ash is going to be having a lot of angst in this fic. I enjoy giving him angst way too much.

Game Freak and Nintendo own Pokémon.

x-o-x-o-x

Ash gradually began to wake up, aware that he was lying on a soft surface. His eyes fluttered open and he saw that he was surrounded by sand. There was water not far from where he lay, lapping up on the shore. It occurred to him that he must have somehow managed to wash up on the island though he wasn't sure how he did it. That had certainly been a stroke of luck.

The Pokémon trainer pushed himself up with his arms and got onto his knees, looking around and taking in his surroundings. Ahead of him were some trees.

"Oh, you're awake," said a female voice close by. Ash started and twisted around, looking wide-eyed at the newcomer. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"Um, no. I just didn't expect anyone else to be here." Ash stared at the woman. She was a young adult with dark hair pulled back in a bun and wore spectacles and plain clothes. "Do you live here?"

"Live here? Hardly. I came here to investigate this mysterious island and was surprised to find you on the beach," said the woman. "I suppose you came here to check it out as well."

Ash nodded. "Something really weird happened though and I ended up falling into the sea with Pikachu and... Pikachu?" He jumped to his feet and looked around frantically, trying to spot anything small and yellow.

"Is something wrong?" the woman inquired.

Ash felt his heart thud rapidly against his chest as he looked toward the sea. Pikachu couldn't possibly still be out there, beneath the ocean waves. It couldn't be true. "When you found me, was there a Pikachu with me?"

"No, you were alone," the woman responded.

Ash clenched his fists, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. "When I was trying to fight my way out of the sea, I was holding onto Pikachu." Had he let go of him after he'd lost consciousness? The image of Pikachu floating in the dark, bottomless depths of the ocean flashed through his mind and he felt a sharp stab of pain.

"It could have washed up somewhere else," the woman suggested. "Do you want to look for it? I'll come with you."

Ash nodded. He couldn't panic just yet. Pikachu might be somewhere on the island and he was going to have to search for him. If only he hadn't left his other Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab. With a flying type to search from the air, it would have been much quicker. "Okay."

As the two started to walk along the beach, the woman glanced at Ash. "So, what's your name, kid? I'm Morgan."

"It's Ash. How did you manage to get here anyway?" Ash asked. "I think this island was actually trying to stop me from reaching it. I know it sounds crazy but when I was on Charizard, there was this fierce wind that ended up knocking it out. Then I fell in the sea and the current was so strong, I couldn't reach the top in time. It's a miracle I managed to wash up on the beach." He fell quiet, thinking of Pikachu again. Was it even possible Pikachu could have washed up somewhere else? He hardly wanted to consider the alternatives at this point. Pikachu had to be somewhere on the island and Ash was going to find him.

"I came here by motorboat," Morgan responded. "I didn't have any trouble getting here either. Maybe you were just unlucky."

"What was I thinking?" Ash clenched his fists. "I should have known there would be something strange about an island that would appear out of nowhere. Why wasn't I more careful?" His voice rose. He couldn't believe his stupidity might have led to losing Pikachu.

The strip of sand had stopped at a steep, rocky edge. Ash and Morgan carefully clambered up the small rock cliff and continued walking along the flat stone. Ash looked at the edge. The rocky precipice was much to high for Pikachu to have reached. He couldn't be on this part of the island.

If he was even on it at all. Ash tried to force those thoughts away but they kept returning to haunt him. He kept seeing Pikachu floating helplessly in the dark depths of the water, the life fading from its tiny little body. Tears stung the back of his eyes.

"What brought you here anyway? You were simply curious about an island that appeared with no explanation?" Morgan asked.

"I thought there might have been rare Pokémon here," Ash said. He looked around, seeing a grassy plain spreading out over the island. There was nothing but grass and the occasional tree to be seen. "It's so quiet here, isn't it? Have you even seen any Pokémon since you got here?"

"Not at all. It's quite strange, isn't it?" Morgan reached up to adjust her spectacles. "With those strong winds and that fierce current you spoke of, I suppose it would be difficult for flying and water Pokémon to reach this place. The only Pokémon you might find are those native to the island and even then there don't seem to be any."

"I guess I came out here for nothing then," Ash said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. Even if there were rare Pokémon here, he didn't care about them right now. He just wanted to find Pikachu. Nothing in the world could be worth losing his best friend.

"How did you discover the island?" Morgan asked.

"Uh... well, a friend of mine saw it when sightseeing," Ash responded. "He said he'd never seen it before and I thought it would be worth checking out. I didn't think anything like this was going to happen."

The rocky ground had given way to more sand. Ash gazed into the distance, swallowing hard. They had covered a fair amount of land already and there was no sign of Pikachu. He sincerely doubted the mouse Pokémon could have washed up all the way on the other side of the island. With each step they took, the heavy feeling weighing on him grew even more until just walking seemed like an effort. Ash was losing hope for ever seeing Pikachu again.

Morgan cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "Why don't you tell me a little about yourself, kid? It's getting boring just walking and nobody saying a word."

Ash could barely muster the energy to talk. He felt so weary and heartsick, but he made the effort anyway just to be polite. "I'm from Pallet Town and I'm trying to become a Pokémon Master. Pikachu was my first ever Pokémon."

"Then you two must be quite close."

"Yeah... Pikachu is my best friend. I can't imagine being without it." Ash drew in breath and let it out slowly. What would he do if he really had lost Pikachu? He couldn't even begin to contemplate such a life. Pikachu meant so much to him and he couldn't bear to lose him.

Silence hung over the two like a heavy blanket as they continued walking along the beach. Ash was so consumed by the fear balling up in his gut, he couldn't speak. He just wanted to find Pikachu.

Suddenly, Morgan stopped. "Look. See that tree over there? I put a marker on it earlier." She walked over to it and indicated a strip of of cloth tied around the bark.

Ash regarded her with confusion. "Okay... so?"

Morgan pointed ahead. "That spot there is where I found you unconscious. We've walked around the entire island."

Ash stared at her with wide eyes as if uncomprehending her words. Had they really gone round the entire island? He wasn't sure how long they had been walking but it had seemed like a long time.

"I'm sorry, but I think your Pikachu might be gone."

The words hit him like a sledgehammer. Ash collapsed to his knees, his vision blurring rapidly. He felt horribly dizzy and thought he was going to be sick.

"No..." His voice was weak and feeble as he spoke. "No, no... Pikachu..."

Pikachu. Gone. He didn't want to believe it, but it looked to be true. He must have let go of Pikachu after falling unconscious, His best friend had sunk down into the depths of the ocean to drown while he had lived. He'd got Pikachu killed.

A scream tore its way out of Ash's gut. "Pikachu!" He curled up in a tight ball, half screaming and sobbing. Tears dripped down his cheeks.

Morgan watched on as the young boy grieved loudly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Ash barely even heard her over the sound of his crying. He couldn't believe it. Pikachu was really gone and it was all because he had made a stupid mistake. It was all his fault this had happened.

A few more minutes passed by and Ash had quietened down. He was still curled up, just staring at his knees with blank eyes.

"What are you going to do now?" Morgan asked. Ash didn't even look up at her. It seemed as if he hadn't even heard her but she supposed he must have. "You going to head back home?"

Ash found himself wishing she would just go away and leave him alone but didn't voice this sentiment. He just remained silent, hoping if he continued to ignore her she would get the message. Still, her last question weighed on his mind. How could he even think about going back home right now? He couldn't face the idea of admitting to everyone that he had made a stupid mistake and even got Pikachu killed. What would they think?

"Well, I'm going to keep looking around. There might be something on this island after all." Morgan turned away and walked off toward the trees. Ash briefly looked up to see her disappear into the woods before looking away again.

What was he going to do now? Everything just seemed so hopeless now that Pikachu was gone. His life was never going to be the same again.

"Pikachu... I'm so sorry." Ash screwed his eyes shut and whimpered. He buried his head in his arms and stayed like that, thinking of Pikachu's smling face. Never again would he see it or hear his voice, or even see him again because he was floating in the bottomless depths of the ocean. Pikachu wouldn't even have a decent burial.

A female scream suddenly cut through the silence like a knife.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Mystery at Sea**

**Mystery at Sea**

Ash leaped to his feet, his heart pounding rapidly. He listened in case there was another scream but there was only silence. It had been a woman who screamed and he suspected it was Morgan.

How come she had screamed? Was there something on this island after all? He wasn't really interested in checking out the island any further, especially knowing his curiousity had gone and got his best friend killed, but he couldn't ignore this.

Ash slowly made his way toward the trees, a shiver running through his body. There could be traps in there and he might even be putting himself in danger again. He didn't usually worry about danger but after what had happened, he was being a lot more cautious. He couldn't go getting himself killed too.

"Morgan?" Ash called out, stepping through the trees and looking around. The ground was rough and uneven beneath his feet. Sunlight filtered through the trees, illuminating his surroundings. Nothing was stirring and it was eerily silent. The young bou wrapped his arms around himself, feeling a chill. It was awfully unsettling and he wanted to turn around and leave, but he couldn't just ignore someone in trouble.

As he kept walking, he saw no sign of the woman nor did he hear her voice. It seemed as if she had simply disappeared without a trace. Ash sighed heavily, looking down at his feet., He hated this island. What had he been thinking, coming out here? He should have just stayed at home, At least then Pikachu would still be alive. Ash forced back the lump that formed in his throat, He couldn't break down again, not now. His grief would have to be put on hold for the time being.

A glint of metal caught the corner of Ash's eye and he moved round a tree to see the sun reflecting off what appeared to be an outhouse built of steel. "What is this?" he muttered to himself in surprise. This was an island with nothing living on it so why would there be an outhouse here?

Ash approached the outhouse and tried the handle, finding that the door yielded easily to his push. He stepped inside and looked down to see a staircase with metal railings on either side. It seemed to go down a long way and the bottom was not visible. Ash grasped the railings and made his way down, feeling a growing sense of trepidation inside him. There was something very strange about this island and he had a feeling that he was about to find out what it was.

Ash's footsteps sounded uncomfortably loud as he walked down the steps. He held onto the railings, staring down into the darkness. Was there something or someone waiting for him down at the bottom? The uncomfortable feeling was only getting worse. He really didn't like this. It would have been more sensible to just leave but he just couldn't turn his back on this, even knowing the danger he could be in. Then again, when had he ever let danger stop him?

The trip down the stairs took a long while and Ash wondered how far down he must have gone. Eventually, he came to the bottom and looked staight ahead to see a dim glowing light fixed above a door. Ash's pulse started racing as he approached the door, wondering what he might find on the other side.

Upon opening the door, Ash stopped and stared at the brightly lit corridor ahead of him. This was not what he had been expecting. Were there actually people living down here? The young trainer moved down the corridor, listening intently for any sounds. As he came to the end of the corridor, he could hear rapidly approaching footsteps.

Ash stepped into the new hallway and turned around to see two men in uniform coming toward him.

"Looks like we've got an intruder," one of the men commented.

"Well, we can't be having kids wandering around in here," said the other man. "We'll just have to deal with you, won't we?"

Ash clenched his teeth, looking at them fiercely. "You won't get a chance!" He reached out for Charizard's Pokéball. His hand fumbled around his waist and he froze in shock. "What..."

The Poké Ball was simply not where it was supposed to be. Ash frantically searched his pockets, still finding nothing. "Charizard?" he whispered in a shocked voice. "Where are you?" Surely its Poké Ball hadn't come off when he was in the water. He had been in the water plenty of times without losing them so why would it happen now?

"What's wrong? You looking for something?"

Ash stared at the men with wide eyes. His heart thudded rapidly. Charizard was gone. If Charizard had been taken from him, then did that mean... "Pikachu..."

One man took out a taser from his pocket and aimed it, pushing the trigger. The prongs shot forward, striking Ash directly in the chest. A massive jolt of electricity coursed through his body and he collapsed to the floor, twitching and slipping into unconsciousness.

x-o-x-o-x

Ash woke with a start, finding himself lying on a thin cot. He sat up and took in his surroundings. The room was mostly bare with just the cot, a sink and a bucket in the corner. It was made up of three walls and a row of bars. The hallway beyond the bars was lit up by a dimly flickering light. Slow footsteps echoed somewhere in the distance.

Ash hopped off the cot and walked to the bars, clutching onto them and peering through. He couldn't see much however. "Hey, is anyone there?"

The footsteps paused for a few seconds then he heard them again, coming closer to the cell. A uniformed man appeared before the bars.

"So you're awake. My superiors are looking forward to having a talk with you." The man plucked a radio from his belt.

"What's going on here?" Ash shouted angrily. "If you've got my Pokémon, you better give them back right now!" He wanted to believe they had taken Charizard and Pikachu from him. It was much better than the alternative.

Instead of answering, the man started walking away while speaking into the radio. Ash couldn't make out what he was saying. He rested his head against the bars and closed his eyes. It seemed that something was going on here, something far bigger than he had imagined, but he wasn't interested in any of that right now. All he wanted was to know if his Pokémon were safe and alive.

A short while later, Ash heard more footsteps approaching the cell. It sounded like there were more than one person coming. A middle aged man in a labcoat stepped in front of the bars, regarding him with an inquisitive stare. "So, you're the latest visitor to my establishment. We certainly don't get many of them here."

Ash regarded him with a narrow eyed stare. He didn't know what to think of this strange man, but he doubted his intentions were good if he was in the habit of having people thrown into cells.

"I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Silas." The man glanced to the side and gestured with one arm. "I believe you have already met my assistant." A woman stepped into view, regarding Ash with a sly smile on her face.

Ash let out a gasp of shock and backed away from the bars as he recognised Morgan. "You? But... but..." His mind started spinning in confusion. Hadn't he heard her scream earlier? She had claimed she got to this island by boat. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even remember seeing a boat at all. He had been so focused on finding Pikachu that he hadn't even thought about it. "What's going on here?"

Morgan raised a hand to her mouth and giggled in amusement. "I just thought I'd play a little game with you. You really thought I was just some visitor to the island? Surely you must understand how hard it is to get here by now."

Ash frowned at her. He really didn't get what this woman was playing at. What had she been hoping to gain by false pretences? "But I thought I heard you scream."

"It got you here quicker, didn't it?" Morgan shrugged her shoulders slightly. "If you'd been on that beach bawling your eyes out much longer, I might have had to send some men out to drag you here."

"Then, was everything a lie?" Ash clenched his fists. "Did I really just wash up on the beach?"

"Hardly. We saw you coming to the island a long way off," Silas explained. "Since you had Pokémon with you, we figured it was worth taking them off you and letting you live."

Ash felt a mix of relief and anger surging through him. Pikachu really was alive after all. "You lied to me!" he shouted at Morgan. "You were letting me worry about Pikachu when the whole time you knew it was alive!" He slammed his fists against the bars. "How could you do that? You even allowed me to think Pikachu was dead... you're twisted!"

Morgan let out a small laugh. "It was a lot of fun, seeing the miserable look on your face and seeing you break down like that."

Ash slowly shook his head, looking disgusted. "What is the matter with you? Anyway, what did you do with my Pokémon? What is this place?"

"This is a private facility dedicated to performing certain experiments on Pokémon," Silas explained. "The whole island is merely a construct. We make sure that nobody can just come in here as they please. As you no doubt have figured out by now, our security works pretty well."

"Experiments on Pokémon?" Ash felt a sudden chill. "Is that why you took away my Pokémon? To perform experiments on them?" His voice was growing shrill. They couldn't possibly be planning to do such terrible things to his own Pokémon. "I won't allow that!"

"And how do you intend to prevent it from happening? You are currently behind bars in case you hadn't noticed," Morgan pointed out.

Ash clutched onto the bars and gritted his teeth. She was right. What could he possibly do in this situation? Anger welled up inside him. Just who did these people think they were? They couldn't just go taking other people's Pokémon and experimenting on them. It just wasn't right.

"Would you like to see what it is we do?" Silas asked. "We're going to give you a very special experience. You should be honoured. Few people who even make it here get the chance."

Morgan turned away, looking toward someone who was out of sight from the cell. "We're going to take him to Room B-12 now."

A man in uniform stepped into view and unlocked the cell, entering and seizing hold of Ash. Ash futilely struggled as he was escorted from the cell to no avail. The man was quite strong. Silas and Morgan walked on ahead and they followed, walking through several corridors until they stopped outside a door labelled B-12. There was a second door next to it. Ash was pushed through the door with the label and turned around only to see the door shut in his face. He turned around, seeing a wall with a large window built into it. Silas and Morgan came into view, watching him through the window.

"What are you doing?" Ash shouted.

Morgan pointed and Ash turned his head, seeing another door ahead of him. The door slid up and a familiar Pokémon came walking into the room.

"Pikachu?"


	4. Mystery at Sea Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Mystery at Sea**

**Mystery at Sea**

Pikachu stood still in the center of the room, gazing blankly ahead and seeming to have little idea of what was going on.

Ash felt a surge of emotion as he looked at his best friend and completely forgot about the situation he was in. He was just so delighted to see Pikachu again. "Oh, Pikachu!" Ash ran forward and dropped to his knees, snatching up Pikachu in a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're okay. I was so worried about you."

Pikachu's expression changed to a frown and tiny sparks began to emit from his cheeks. He then released a massive shock of electricity that coursed through the trainer's body, causing him to cry out in pain. Ash dropped Pikachu to the floor, giving him a bewildered and hurt look.

"Pikachu, why did you do that?" Ash noticed that Pikachu looked almost angry. A shiver ran through him. How come Pikachu was looking at him in such a way?

"Pika..." Pikachu raised his arms and began to build up a charge in his body.

"Pikachu, stop!" Ash exclaimed.

"CHU!" Pikachu paid no heed to Ash's pleas and released the electricity, firing it toward Ash. Ash went flying back across the room, screaming, and hit the wall. He slowly sank to the floor and crouched over, moaning.

"Why?" Ash whispered. His body was twitching furiously from the high voltage he had just received. Tears started pooling up in his eyes. "Pikachu, why?" He raised his head, looking toward Pikachu who just stood there, returning his stare with a cold expression.

This didn't make any sense. Why would Pikachu be acting this way? Ash weakly got up and started walking toward Pikachu. "Pikachu, it's me. Don't you remember me?" He reached out toward him with a shaky hand. "Are you mad at me? Is it because I almost got us killed? Why?"

Pikachu gritted his teeth and then started running toward Ash, his body flashing with electricity. Ash threw up his arms to defend himself as Pikachu crashed into him and again he went flying into the wall. His body twitched and jerked as electricity coursed through him and he fell to the floor, moaning in pain.

"Pikachu..." Ash gasped out. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks. "Stop... please..." He let out a loud sniff and his shoulders trembled. Mocking laughter floated toward him and he looked at the window.

"The Pikachu you once knew is no more," Morgan said. "It's no use trying to reason with it."

"What?" Ash's gaze trailed back to Pikachu, who was crouched low and watching him with narrow eyes while sparks emitted from his cheeks. His body grew cold inside as he stared helplessly at Pikachu. "No... that can't be. What did you do to Pikachu?" he screamed.

"We just tested out one of our devices on it," responded Silas. "Your precious Pikachu is now nothing more than a mindless, empty shell. It doesn't remember who you are. It has no remorse for attacking you over and again."

"In a way, I suppose your Pikachu really is dead after all," Morgan said, her mouth twitching in a smile.

"No! I don't believe that!" Ash clenched his fists, looking tearfully at Pikachu. "I know Pikachu is still there. Pikachu!" He got up and ran toward Pikachu, scooping him up in a tight hug. "Pikachu, please... you have to remember me. I know you're still there."

Pikachu growled and unleashed another blast of electricity. Ash screamed as the electricity coursed through him, yet he continued to hold tightly onto Pikachu.

"Didn't I already say it was no use? Stubborn brat," Morgan said derisively.

Ash collapsed to his knees as Pikachu shocked him yet again, gritting his teeth. "Pikachu, I'm so sorry. I made a really big mistake. I shouldn't have come here." He broke off, crying out as Pikachu released another shock. "I won't give up... I know you're in there... please, Pikachu, come back to me."

"Pi...ka...CHU!" Pikachu let out an even more powerful shock and kept emitting the electricity. Ash struggled to hold on, gasping in pain. He didn't think he could take much more of this. As the voltage continued to run through his body, his vision started to grow dark.

"Pikachu..." Ash moaned as his eyes slid shut. Pikachu jumped out of his arms as they went limp and he slumped forward onto the floor.

x-o-x-o-x

Ash stirred awake, immediately remembering the events that had led up to him becoming unconscious. "Pikachu!" he cried out, his eyes flying open. He was lying flat on his back, staring up at the brightly lit ceiling. Ash attempted to get up but something was holding his limbs down. As he looked around, it became apparent that he was not in the same room where Pikachu had attacked him.

Ash was lying across a table and his arms and legs were held fast to the surface with metal clamps. He could see a strange looking machine and some monitors and panels nearby. Ash shivered and bit his bottom lip. There was something rather unsettling about this room and he didn't like the look of it. He struggled against the clamps but they stayed firmly in place. Ash let out a sigh of frustration.

How could something like this have happened? He had set out on a short trip, looking for a little adventure, and ended up in this awful mess. Pikachu had been brainwashed against him and he had no idea what had happened to Charizard, and he was sure those people weren't done playing games with him. Ash's eyes stung and his face grew hot. Right now, he felt more scared than he ever had before in his life. Just what was going to become of him?

A few moments later, a door slid open. Ash watched Morgan, Silas and two of their men come walking into the room.

"Ah, you're awake," Morgan noted. "Great."

"What's going on?" Ash asked, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Did you think we were simply going to send you on your way back home? Of course not," Silas spoke. "I'm sure that we can find something to do with you. Even live human specimens come in useful now and then."

"Huh?" Ash forced back the lump that was forming in his throat. His body was shivering violently. "What are you going to do to me?"

"It's been fun toying with you but we have more important things to be doing." Morgan walked up to the machine and looked toward Ash with a chilling smile. "This is where we simply erase you from existence."

The pupils of Ash's eyes shrank down and his face paled. "You're... going to kill me?" he whispered.

"Not quite. You'll still be alive when we're done," Morgan responded. "This is the same machine we used on your Pikachu. It will wipe your mind entirely."

Ash's skin tickled as the beads of sweat dripped down his head. He stared at the machine, his mouth hanging open in horror. He couldn't even begin to imagine what having his mind wiped would be like. All his memories, his emotions... everything that made him who he was... they would all be gone. He would merely be an empty shell. "No!" he cried out, thrashing about in the metal clamps and sobbing. "Please! I don't want that!"

"That's right, scream. Beg for mercy. Cry as much as you want. I like it." Morgan wheeled the machine over until part of it was positioned above Ash and looked down at him with a cruel smile.

Tears slid down Ash's face and he let out a whimper, screwing his eyes shut. The machine began to hum and his entire body grew tense. He heard a faint scraping noise and then something hard and cold clamped around his head. Violent shivers wracked his body and he sobbed. The humming grew louder.

An explosion of pain tore its way through Ash's skull and he released an earsplitting scream of agony. Then he was no longer aware of anything.


	5. Mystery at Sea Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Mystery at Sea**

**Mystery at Sea**

x-o-x-o-x

From this point on, the story is going to be much darker, with plenty of blood, gore and violence over the next few chapters. In accordance, the rating of the story is now higher.

x-o-x-o-x

Ash opened his eyes to see the empty darkness before him and blinked in confusion. It seemed like only a few seconds ago he had been manacled to a table and that terrifying machine was being used on him. The last thing he remembered was the splitting pain that made his head feel like it was breaking apart. That machine was supposed to have wiped his mind or something to that effect. It seemed to have done a good enough job on Pikachu. However, Ash felt completely normal. Could the machine have failed on him for some reason?

Lying around in this place wasn't going to do him any good. Ash cautiously walked forward, holding out his hands. It was so dark he had to feel in front of him so that he wouldn't bump into anything. It felt rather cold in this place. He had to wonder what kind of a place this was and why they would have put him here. They hadn't bothered locking him in a cell or keeping him in restraints. It seemed rather unusual.

After a short while of walking, Ash noticed a softly glowing light in the distance and quickened his pace. He stepped into a new room with a set of stairs leading away and frowned. Ash was standing on top of a ledge and he could see numerous staircases leading in different directions. Below him, a dark abyss yawned.

"What is this place?" Ash muttered, raising an eyebrow. He started up the stairs. As he ran along them, the stairs suddenly warped and he found himself going down rather than up. Ash almost stumbled in his surprise and hastily waved his arms in the air to regain his balance. He turned his head and looked up the stairs, seeing nothing but darkness at the top. There was something really odd about this place. Ash frowned and kept on going along the stairs. He didn't know if he was really going up or down, but he would just have to keep going until he finally got somewhere. As he kept going, the room continued to warp and distort. It was horribly disorienting. Sometimes it even felt like he was walking upside down and at one point it seemed that the stairs went in a loop.

The stairs went on for a long time and Ash began to tire. It felt like he had been running forever but he couldn't stop. He needed to keep going. He didn't know where he was headed but still he had to try. At long last, he came off the final step and his feet met with the ground. Ash sat down on the step to rest for a minute. He gazed up at the twisting staircases far above him, reaching up into the empty blackness, then looked around. In front of him was a closed door.

Ash stood up and approached the door. As he came closer to it, he heard a rhythmic pulsing noise like the beating of a drum. It never once broke sequence, going regular as clockwork. He opened the door and stepped beyond into another dark area. The floor felt soft beneath him and easily gave way to his feet. It was oddly squishy and he wavered a bit as he walked across it. His forehead knotted in a frown and he held out an arm, his hand meeting with the wall. It was soft and slimy. Ash sharply drew his hand back in disgust.

Slowly, the room grew brighter until he could see his surroundings and he recoiled. The walls were bright pink and criss-crossed with red and blue lines. Not only that, but they seemed to be pulsing. The floor and the ceiling were the same. Ash shuddered and turned around only to see that the door was gone.

This couldn't possibly be a place in the building. It was just too weird. Then where was he? Ash had no choice but to keep on going through this creepy looking hallway. He steeled himself and continued walking, grimacing. He hated the way the floor sank beneath him with a wet, squishing sound. The continuous beat still went on, roaring in his ears. The rhythm reminded him of a heartbeat.

As he kept walking, the sound stopped and the interior suddenly began to change. A sickly smell wafted up Ash's nose and he gagged. The walls started taking on a strange green tinge. Something wet splashed onto his arm. Ash raised his arm and saw a large red bead of liquid that began to trickle down his skin. A shudder ran through his body. It was blood. More drops splashed onto him and he looked up.

Blood was dripping from vivid gashes in the ceiling. The scarlet drops rapidly splashed onto him. Ash hurriedly lowered his head,wiping his face in disgust. Blood was oozing from the walls and even beneath his feet. Large chunks were peeling off the walls and hitting the floor with loud splats. Ash forced back the bile that threatened to rise and started to run, desperate to escape this hallway. The rotting smell was becoming unbearable and he felt like he was going to be sick. He couldn't endure this much longer. The blood was falling harder and faster until he blindly running through a scarlet shower. His entire body was becoming coated in blood. His feet kept slipping on the slick surface beneath and he almost fell several times.

Up ahead, the light faded out into darkness. As Ash rushed into the shadows, the floor was suddenly gone and he pitched forward, screaming as he fell into the abyss. He seemed to be falling forever. Ash curled up and closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. It would surely kill him, considering how far he had already fallen. Then he struck the ground. Pain exploded through his body.

Ash lay there, listening to the sound of his rapid breathing. Eventually, the agonising pain began to ebb away. He slowly moved into a sitting position, checking himself over for injuries. None of his bones were broken. He didn't even seem to be bruised anywhere.

It occurred to Ash that maybe this was only a dream, or maybe even a nightmare, considering that horrifying sight from earlier. So he was inside his own mind then? Was he unconscious then after being zapped by that machine? This didn't feel like it was only a dream. He was much too aware of what was going on for it to just be a simple dream. It was so vivid and realistic. Was he simply trapped in his own mind? How could his mind come up with something like flesh walls that began to bleed and rot away? It was all too strange.

If this was his mind, then was there no escape? No, there had to be some way out of this and he would find it. He would absolutely not give up hope. Ash stood up and began walking, his fists clenched in determination.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard a high-pitched scream. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he went still. Another scream followed, this one bloodcurdling and filled with terror. Was there something out there? Ash took a deep breath and kept going.

In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed. Ash was now standing in an ordinary looking corridor somewhere in a building. There was nothing unusual about it. There was only complete silence all around him. Maybe the building was empty. Ash walked along the corridor, his footsteps ringing out in the silence, and turned the corner. Then he saw that he wasn't alone in the building.

There was a man at the other end of the hall, shuffling toward him with slow deliberate steps. His clothes had been stained a deep cherry red. As he came closer, Ash saw the reason for the blood. There was a deep gash in the man's neck. A scarlet river trickled down his body, dripping onto the floor. The man's eyes rolled around in their sockets and his mouth was frozen open in a silent scream. His skin was pale as bone. He didn't seem to even be alive.

A cry of horror burst from Ash's throat and he turned around, running back along the corridor. The man wasn't real, he knew that much, yet the sight of him was terrifying. There was so much blood, all over him. He looked like a walking corpse. Maybe he really was.

The corridor came to an end and Ash skidded to a halt, turning and seeing a lone door. He dashed through the door, finding a flight of steps beyond that only led down. Ash glanced over his shoulder, seeing that the man was coming toward him. He flung himself through the doorway and raced down the steps, his heart pounding. Sweat beaded on his skin and his breath was ragged in his terror. He had to get out of here before that man got to him.

The steps seemed to go on forever and all Ash could hear was the roaring of his pulse in his ears and the man's steady footsteps on the stairs behind him. Then the stairs came to an end and Ash ran, only to see an iron grate before him. It ran from one wall to the other.

"No!" Ash cried out, slamming into the grate and furiously prying at it. It was made of thick metal and fastened firmly to the ground. No amount of pulling or pushing could even shake it. He was trapped. Tears welled up in his eyes and he moaned in fear. Ash turned around and saw the man right behind him. Now his mouth was stretched in a manic grin and his eyes gleamed. The man reached behind himself and drew out a large butcher's knife, its blade sharp and ready to cut anything with ease.

A warm, wet feeling spread down the inside of Ash's leg as he stared with wide eyes at the blade, his mouth hanging open. He was going to die. All rational thought had fled him. He had managed to completely forget this was only a fabrication of his mind. All he could think about was this man standing before him, prepared to murder him with the knife. His fingers clung to the grate tightly, the metal biting into his flesh, and he whimpered. Tears ran down his pale cheeks.

"No, please... no!" Ash wailed, as the man stepped toward him, raising the knife. He screwed his eyes shut and waited.

The seconds passed by. Ash realised his fingers were no longer wrapped around anything and he couldn't feel the grate pressing into his back. His eyes flew open and and he found himself looking down a road. The man was gone. Ash collapsed to his knees and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking furiously. Tears dripped through his fingers as he quietly sobbed.

After a while, Ash felt composed enough to go on. He wiped the tears from his face and started running along the road. At either side of the road was an empty abyss. Further along, the road met with a rocky plain surrounded by darkness. Ash saw a shadowy figure standing alone on the plain and his heart skipped a beat. He didn't want to have to deal with any more terrifying stuff. That last scene had been the worst thing he had ever seen.

As Ash came closer, he cried out in shock. The figure standing before him was like him in every way, with the red cap, the dark hair, his clothes, and his face. The only thing different, he saw as the figure looked at him, was the twisted sneer on his face.

Ash just stared in bewilderment. He was getting used to strange things by now but this was unexpected. Judging by the look on his doppelganger's face, he was pretty sure he wasn't friendly.

"Hey, what are you supposed to be?" Ash asked. "Why do you look like me anyway?" It was probably ridiculous to talk to what was basically a figment of his imagination, but hearing his voice made him feel a little better.

The lookalike remained silent and started walking toward him. Ash tensed, watching him cautiously, and clenched his fists. The other Ash walked right up to him, their faces only inches apart from each other. Ash shivered.

Then the other Ash's hand shot up and wrapped around his throat. Ash gasped as he felt the grip began to tighten and clutched at his lookalike's wrist, furiously kicking at him. One sharp kick knocked the doppelganger away and his grip came loose. Dark Ash released a furious growl and lunged at him.

Ash was quicker and slammed a fist into his face, flooring him. Dark Ash looked at him with a cold smirk, causing a shiver to run up his spine. Then he leaped to his feet, driving a fist sharply into Ash's gut. The blow was incredibly hard and Ash doubled over, wheezing frantically. Tears stung the back of his eyes and he struggled to breathe. He was only vaguely aware of his darker self moving behind him. Then an arm looped around his neck and jerked him up. Dark Ash tightened the chokehold. Ash clutched at the arm, trying to pry it loose. His struggles pushed them both closer to the abyss behind them. Ash's lungs burned and red dots swarmed before his eyes. Out the corner of his eye, he could see the edge of the cliff. They were coming precariously close to it.

Ash balled up a fist, tightly, and swung it backwards, hitting his attacker directly between the legs. He heard a pained gasp and the grip loosened. Ash swiftly slipped out of the grip and pushed his lookalike away. He turned to see Dark Ash stumble over the cliff and fall down into the abyss. Ash fell to the ground, gasping in air and rubbing his throat. When he had recovered, he stood up and turned around to see something that hadn't been there before.

It was a doorway bathed in light. Was it the way out or just an entry to even more strange things in his mind? Ash walked up to it and stepped through.


	6. Mystery at Sea Chapter 6

**Mystery at Sea**

Ash felt like he was waking up after a very long sleep. His mind was foggy and he was disoriented. He blinked a few times, struggling to get his bearings. Ash was looking down a hallway. There was nothing particularly interesting about what he was looking at. Had he been walking around the building? It did look like the same building he had been in for the past few hours. What had they been making him do after zapping him with that machine?

There was something in his hand, Ash realised. He looked down, seeing his hand wrapped around a wooden shaft. His gaze trailed along the shaft, which was flecked with red spots, to the large blade on the end of it. He sharply drew in breath and his eyes widened.

The blade of the axe was drenched in blood.

A dizzy spell took hold of the young trainer as he continued to stare at the blade in horror, his jaw hanging slack. This couldn't be real. It had to be yet another nightmare. There was no way he was really standing in that building, clutching onto a bloody axe. It was a nightmare. Just an awful nightmare. But Ash knew he was lying to himself. This was real.

Ash turned his gaze to his clothes. They were barely recognisable as, like the axe, they were drenched in blood. It was splattered all over his body. Ash shakily reached up and wiped his face, feeling wet spots there. The blood was all over him.

The axe clattered to the floor. Ash collapsed to his knees, gasping. "No... this can't be true! No, no, no..." He whimpered, clutching his head and shaking it. "I... did I kill people? Why? This can't be happening!" Tears welled up in his brown eyes and spilled free, running through the smears of blood on his cheeks. He let out great, gulping sobs, his body shaking violently.

What had happened here? How had he ended up killing people? Surely the people who had wiped his mind hadn't gone so far as to give him a weapon and send him on a killing spree in their own building. That was ridiculous. Just who had he killed? Their staff?

Ash weakly got to his feet. Sitting here and crying wasn't going to solve anything. He still needed to find his Pokémon and get out of this awful. The Pokémon trainer turned around and regretted doing so.

A man lay sprawled across the floor in a puddle of his own blood, his eyes staring unblinkingly at Ash and his mouth wide open in a silent scream. The blood that formed around him came from a gaping hole in his back. He was not the only one there. The body of a man sat slumped against the far wall. His head was resting a few feet away.

Ash released a bloodcurdling scream. Then everything went white.

When Ash came to, he was lying on the floor next to the bloody axe. He scrambled away from the corpses and leaped to his feet, breaking into a run. As he turned the corner, he came to a stop and let out a horrified moan.

A body lay before him in a scarlet pool. The legs and arms had been hacked off and the head split open like a melon. Ash put a hand over his mouth as his stomach churned violently. He wanted to turn back, but what was the use? There would only be more bodies lying the other way. His body shook wildly and he whimpered, screwing his eyes shut. Ash didn't want to walk past all the bodies he knew he would find. He was terrified of what else he would see. Hot tears leaked from his eyes and splashed onto the floor. Ash continued to sob and moan.

Pikachu... Charizard... they were waiting for him. He couldn't stay here. Ash drew in a deep breath and walked past the body. He didn't know where the Pokémon would be kept and that just made it worse. How much of this building would he have to search and how many bodies would he have to see before he finally found them?

Ash paused at a doorway, peering in. It looked like a simple laboratory with monitors and strange equipment. A middle aged man in a white labcoat lay on the floor, staring upward with wide eyes. His throat gaped openly, a crimson river flowing from the cut. Ash hastily looked away and kept walking.

It seemed that every hallway he walked down contained an unfortunate person who had been mercilessly hacked down. Just how many people had died? Could he really have managed to slay all these people by himself? It seemed unbelievable. Hadn't anyone tried to stop him in his tracks? Maybe they had tried, but failed. None of it made any sense.

Ash stopped in front of a set of double doors and pushed them open. He almost stumbled upon another corpse and recoiled in alarm. The deceased stared unblinkingly up at the ceiling with multiple stab wounds in his chest. Ash raised his head and saw rows of shelves, lined with Poké Balls. His heart leaped. Surely Pikachu and Charizard had to be somewhere in here.

"Pikachu!" Ash ran past the corpse. Pikachu would likely be in some kind of cage, seeing as Ash didn't carry his Poké Ball on himself. There was no point in doing so when Pikachu loathed the thing. "Pikachu!"

At the farthest end of the room, Ash saw stacks of cages. A few of them contained Pokémon. One of them in particular held Pikachu. "Pikachu!" he cried in relief, hurrying to the cage.

Pikachu stared at him then shrank back with a frown. "Chu..."

Ash's face fell. "You still don't recognise me, do you, Pikachu? I know you're in there somewhere, fighting to get out. It's okay. I believe you can do it. I know you can." He unlatched the cage, opening the door. Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks and the mouse Pokémon let out a warning growl. "I won't leave you here, Pikachu... let's go back home, together. You don't like this place, do you? You don't want to be stuck in this nasty cage."

"Pi..." Pikachu's frown deepened.

"I'm going to save you, Pikachu." Ash gently picked Pikachu up and pulled him out of the cage. "It's okay now." He clutched Pikachu to his chest and buried his face in the soft yellow fur.

Pikachu, however, wasn't calmed by his words and started to struggle. "Chu... chu..." His voice sounded almost panicked. "Pika...CHU!" Pikachu released a massive shock from his body.

Ash gasped as the electricity coursed through him, gritting his teeth. "Pikachu... don't fight... it's okay. It's me! Pikachu, please!" A fresh shock caused his grip to weaken and Pikachu took advantage of it, slipping free of his arms and leaping over his shoulder to the floor. Ash wearily turned around, watching Pikachu shrink back against the wall. "Pikachu..." He sounded tired and defeated, and that was how he felt. Having his best friend continuously try to shock the life out of him and not even recognise him was incredibly draining.

Pikachu sat there and stared up at him with wide, anxious eyes, his body quivering.

"Are you... scared?" Ash swallowed a lump in his throat. He was covered in blood after all. Pikachu might even have heard what happened outside.

Ash was about to speak again but was broken off by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Did you come back to your senses?" An acidic female voice floated toward him. "I must say I'm surprised."

Ash whirled around and took a step back, gasping. "Morgan."

Morgan marched toward him, her face livid with fury. "You certainly caused a lot of trouble, you little brat."

"I'm the one who caused trouble?" Ash asked incredulously. "I didn't stick myself underneath a machine and zap myself!" Still, he couldn't help feeling horrendously guilty about what had happened. Remorse gnawed away at his insides, making him feel utterly wretched. Even if he hadn't been aware of what was going on at the time, he felt responsible for the deaths of all those people. It had been his hands that had brought an end to their lives.

Morgan drew back a hand and slapped him soundly in the face. Ash's head snapped back and he felt a burst of fresh pain in his cheek where she had hit him. Ash clutched his cheek and looked back at her.

"What happened?" Ash wanted to know. How had he ended up killing all those people?

"We never saw it coming. You were practically comatose after being zapped with that machine. You could walk, but you never spoke or reacted. Silas took you away and sat you down in the office while discussing with one of the team what to use you for... I don't know exactly what happened... it was chaos. The worst thing was, you were completely unstoppable, like an assassin." Morgan clenched her teeth, her face reddening. "I can't forgive you for this."

"You shouldn't have put me under that machine," Ash spoke in a small voice.

"Shut up, just shut up!" Morgan shouted, slapping him again. She flung Ash to the floor, her mouth curling in a smile. "You're going to pay for what you did." Before Ash could move, she was on top of him, pinning him down. Then she reached into the inside of her jacket, pulling out a knife.

Ash's breath caught in his throat and terror flooded every orifice of his body. Morgan brought down the blade on his arm and it bit down into the flesh, making him cry out. She dragged the blade through the flesh, creating a shallow cut. Blood formed in tiny scarlet beads. "Do you know how painful it was for those people you killed? You cut them to pieces with that axe." She lifted the blade and made a new incision. "You stabbed them. Smashed their heads in. Even slit their throats with broken glass."

Ash was screaming now as she continued to cut his flesh. "Pikachu!" he wailed, tears streaming from his eyes. "Pikachu, help me! Please!"

"Pikachu can't help you now." Morgan sneered, positioning the blade over his other arm. Her eyes gleamed with malice. She was enjoying this. The blade sliced down into the umarked flesh, creating a new cut.

Ash howled in pain as the blade bit down even deeper, sobbing hysterically between screams. It was agonising.

"No matter how much pain you feel, it can't compare to what you did to those people," Morgan said coldly. "You murdered them all in cold blood."

"PIKACHU!" Ash screamed. Why wouldn't Pikachu help him?

Pikachu was crouched in a shivering heap, watching on with wide, teary eyes. He didn't really understand what was going on. The boy was in danger. Should he help him? The boy was covered in blood. He had caused all the pain and the screaming, hadn't he? He had been told to attack him earlier by those people. One of those people was the woman hurting the boy. Was she a bad woman? He didn't know. He was so confused. He just wanted to be somewhere safe. He felt scared.

Morgan laughed crazily as she continued to cut Ash's arm. The wounds weren't too deep. The purpose of this was to cause him pain. She wanted to hear him scream and beg before she finally killed him. She lifted his shirt and cut down into his belly, scoring a long cut straight across it.

"Stop... stop! Please!" Ash sobbed wretchedly. "Pikachu! Pikachu!"

"Ugh, you really are hopeless, screaming for your pathetic little rat. It's not going to help you." Morgan glanced at the shivering Pikachu, her mouth stretching in a smirk. She turned her attention back to Ash and sliced at his flesh again.

Ash's throat was growing hoarse but still he kept screaming. "PIKACHU! HELP ME!"

Pikachu frowned as a sudden memory came to him. One word. "Pikapi."

"I'm getting tired of this. Playtime's over." Morgan licked her lips in anticipation as she brought the knife to Ash's throat.

Ash felt numb. She was going to murder him. It was all over for him.

Morgan was about to cut his throat when a bolt of lightning suddenly hit her, sending her flying off Ash and crashing into the cages. Her head smacked hard against the metal bars and she collapsed to the floor, moaning. Her eyes slid shut.

Pikachu clutched his head. He was so confused. When he'd remembered the word, he felt he had to save the boy, but why? He couldn't remember anything else. His head felt like it was filled with a cloudy fog.

"Pikachu..." Ash rolled over onto his side, looking at him with tear filled eyes. "Do you remember now?"

Pikachu backed away, shivering. He was still scared of him. A small voice at the back of his head told him not to be, but he ignored it. The boy was covered in blood. He had done bad things. Maybe he was a bad person too just like the woman. Pikachu didn't know. He just wanted to get away. Pikachu turned around and started to run.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in shock. "Why are you running away?" He leaped to his feet and took off after Pikachu, even as pain shot through his body where he had been cut. Fortunately, he wasn't losing much blood and was easily able to hurry after Pikachu.

Pikachu ran on through the hallway, past the bodies. He heard the pounding footsteps behind him and a flash of alarm shot through him. He needed to get away. As he rounded the corner, he saw an open doorway and darted through it.

Ash turned the corner a moment later and didn't see Pikachu. He looked down, seeing the small, bloody footprints. Pikachu had run right through the puddles of blood. The trail led to the door. Ash stepped through the door to a staircase. The bloodied footprints were leading downward. He hastily followed.

Pikachu came to the bottom of the stairs and found himself facing a closed door. He turned around to see Ash coming down toward him.

Ash was panting heavily and struggling to catch his breath. "Pikachu, what's wrong?"

Pikachu backed away until he was up against the door, cringing.

"Are you scared? There's no need to be afraid, Pikachu... I'm not going to hurt you." Ash swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. Pikachu was actually scared of him. He approached Pikachu, speaking soothingly. "It's okay."

"Pika...CHU!" Pikachu released stray bolts of electricity in a panic. One bolt of electricity struck a panel on the wall and it exploded. The door slid open with an electronic hum.

Ash leaped before Pikachu could turn and run into the room, snatching the mouse Pokémon up in his arms. "Pikachu, it's me! Don't you remember me?" Pikachu struggled within his arms. "Calm down, Pikachu, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you."

Pikachu stopped struggling. There was something familiar about this. He felt warm and safe in the boy's arms.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu's eyes lit up and he raised his head, looking into the warm brown eyes of his trainer. "Pikapi! Pikapi!"

"Oh, Pikachu... you finally remembered." Ash smiled and pressed his face against Pikachu's body. "Thank goodness." Tears of joy ran down his cheeks as he tightly hugged him. He was so glad to have Pikachu back at last.

Once the two were finished with their happy reunion, Ash looked toward the open door and noticed something strange.


	7. Mystery at Sea Chapter 7

**Mystery at Sea**

"What is that?" Ash walked through the door and approached the object that had caught his attention. A glass tube ran down from the ceiling to the floor. Bubbles swirled around a murky object suspended within it. Ash moved closer and realised that he was looking at a Slowpoke. Its eyes appeared to be closed and it was unmoving. He couldn't tell if it was alive or dead.

"Chu," Pikachu muttered in a small voice, a faint shiver running through his body.

Ash turned around to see that the room was filled with other tubes, filled with many different kinds of Pokémon, and he shuddered at the sight. "What is this? What are those Pokémon doing inside those tubes?" It was utterly horrific. How could those people be treating Pokémon in this way?

Ash noticed a few doors at the other end of the room leading off to other areas. He tightened his hold on Pikachu slightly and swallowed thickly, then walked past the tubes toward the doors. His heart began to race as he approached a door and placed a hand upon the knob. It probably wasn't too sensible to see what lay behind the doors, but he doubted it could be much worse than what was upstairs. As far as he was concerned, nothing could compare to the horror of seeing dead bodies, which had been slain by his own hands. Ash took a deep breath and pushed the door open, immediately being hit by a blast of cold air.

Endless rows of shelves lined the walls and metal tables filled the room. Ash choked back a scream as he saw what was on the tables. One table had a frozen human torso. He could see arms, legs and heads scattered across the other tables. Human parts were not the only thing in the room. Even Pokémon had not escaped this vile butchery. Even more bodies had been stacked upon the shelves. Every inch of the room was stained reddish-brown. A rack in the corner and a table beneath displayed various sharp tools.

Ash hurriedly slammed the doors. His eyes prickled sharply and began to well up. "Those monsters," he whispered. His entire body shook with anger. "How could they? Treating people and Pokémon like objects to mess around with... what's wrong with them?" The tears spilled free, gliding down his pale cheeks.

"Pikapi." Pikachu licked Ash's face comfortingly.

Ash weakly smiled at Pikachu. He was so glad to have his company again. The young trainer walked to the next door, hesitating slightly before he made a move to open it, steeling himself for the horrors that might lie beyond.

Ash opened the door to another large room, filled with tables. Tubular containers sat upon the tables and control panels had been fixed to the sides. Ash walked into the room for a better look and his eyes grew wide in shock when he realised what was inside them. The few tubes he could see from where he stood contained unmistakably human shapes.

Ash approached a tube and peered through the glass, blanching in horror. Though it looked like a human at first sight, not all the parts of its body belonged to it originally. The arms and legs were not human and rather seemed to belong to an Ursaring.

"What is this?" Ash's face grew even paler as he stared down at it. He couldn't begin to comprehend why anyone would want to do something like this. The sight was grotesque and his skin crawled just looking at it.

"Chu," Pikachu whimpered, turning his head away in a fearful grimace. The sight was too terrifying for him to look at. Ash gently set him down on the floor and there he sat, shivering.

Ash glanced at another tube, seeing the torso and legs of a Slakoth stitched together with the arms of a Golduck and a human head. His attention turned to yet another tube where he saw the head and torso of a person. They had no arms or legs. Instead, long, blue tentacles flowed from their body.

"I don't believe this," Ash muttered. His stomach was doing flip flops and a wave of nausea passed over him. It was becoming all too clear what the parts in that freezing room were being used for. Ash walked toward a different tube, putting a hand over his mouth and shuddering as he looked upon a small human body with the arms and feet of a Psyduck. The face was congealed with crusted blood, surrounding the beak that had been cruelly stitched over the mouth.

"Oh my god," Ash whispered as he continued to walk past the tubes. "Those monsters. This is just evil. Why? I don't understand why they would do something like this." He stepped between two tubes and turned to look at the one to his left. Ash cried out when he saw the deformed human within the tube. Their ears had been cut off, leaving behind bloody gaping holes. Two long, yellow ears with black tips were stitched to the top of their head and a lightning shaped brown and yellow tail protruded from their back.

Ash stumbled back and crashed into the tube behind himself, letting out a high-pitched, keening whimper. The painful reality of what could have happened to him or Pikachu was just now hitting him with the force of a sledgehammer. He couldn't bear the thought of it. It was too horrifying.

A soft hum from behind caused Ash to whirl around, gasping as he saw the tube began to rise. He realised that he must have hit the control panel when he crashed into the tube. His heart skipped a beat and his mouth went dry. These things couldn't actually be alive though, could they? At least he didn't think so. How could they possibly be? They would already have been dead before these awful experiments took place so how could it even be possible? Still, he couldn't just relax and expect nothing to happen. His palms grew clammy as he stared at what lay on the table. The head and body were human but the arms and legs weren't. They were a purple colour and bulging with muscles. Ash held his breath, his fists clenched so tightly that he felt his nails digging down into his palms. As the seconds passed by, he began to relax. Of course it wasn't alive.

Its eyes flew open, causing Ash to jump and cry out in shock. It turned its head to look directly at him. Ash stared back at it, his pulse racing furiously. He wondered what it was going to do next. The creature's face split in a grin that revealed rows of rotting teeth and it sprang into a sitting position, reaching out with one hand and seizing Ash by the neck. Its grip tightened, crushing his throat.

Ash clutched at the sinewy wrist, his eyes bulging. The grip was incredibly strong and his struggles couldn't dislodge it. He released a garbled cry of terror, staring wide-eyed into the eyes of the creatures. In those eyes, he saw only madness and the intent to kill. Splashes of colour exploded in his vision and he began to feel light headed.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu came running and released a furious thunderbolt attack upon the creature. It howled in agony as the electricity shot through its body. Its hand came away and Ash collapsed to the floor, rubbing his throat and gulping in air.

The creature leaped from the table with surprising speed. Pikachu barely had time to register its lightning speed movements. It grabbed Pikachu around the body with both hands and raised him in the air before smashing him into the floor. Then it drove a fist into the electric Pokémon's gut, making him cry out in pain. The creature picked him up again and flung him into the wall. Pikachu slid to the floor, clenching his teeth and struggling to stand on his feet. Before he could let off another attack, the creature had leaped forward and struck him with its fists in rapid succession. Pikachu cried out again as the creature's fists rained upon his small body.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in horror. The creature's movements were so swift that Pikachu had no time to react to its actions. Just what had those people done to it? "Stop it! Leave Pikachu alone!"

The creature stopped and slowly turned around, facing Ash with a fiendish smile on its face. It marched toward him with rapid strides. Ash scrambled to his feet and backed away from it, shaking in fear. He didn't stand a chance against it. The creature leaped at him, pulling back a fist and driving it into Ash's gut. The force of the blow caused Ash to sail off his feet and fly backwards a short distance. As he hit the floor, pain exploded within him and he curled up in a ball, gasping and moaning. The creature approached him and delivered a kick to the ribs, making Ash cry out. It was unbearably strong and its punches and kicks were almost hard enough to shatter his bones.

"Pikapi..." Pikachu struggled to stand up, desperate to protect his trainer, but his body was in so much pain. His vision went blurry and he collapsed, tears building up in his eyes. He couldn't protect him.

Ash curled up tighter, pressing his legs to his chest and covering his head with his arms as further blows rained upon his quivering body. The blows suddenly ceased and he thought he could hear faint laughter. Was it the creature laughing? He was suddenly aware of something digging into his hip. Was there something in his pocket?

The creature rolled Ash over onto his back and gazed down at his tearstained face, its mouth stretched in a smile. It was panting, its tongue hanging out one corner of its mouth and its eyes were gleaming in delight. Then it bent its head down, sinking its rotting teeth sharply down into Ash's shoulder.

Ash howled as the teeth tore into his flesh, accompanied by a red-hot burst of pain. He slipped his hand into his pocket, praying he would find something useful there. The creature raised its head, freeing its teeth from the torn flesh and started to lap at Ash's blood, making the boy shudder in revulsion. His hand closed around what felt like the handle of a knife and he pulled it out, his thumb grazing a button. As he pushed down on the button, a bloody blade popped out.

Ash swung his arm forward, burying the blade deep into the creature's neck. Its eyes widened in astonishment and it released a gargled cry, jerking its head up. Warm blood gushed forth in a scarlet fountain, spraying over Ash's face and chest. The creature clutched at its throat frantically, struggling to stem the rapid flow of blood. It toppled over onto the floor, jerking about and making strangled noises while blood fanned out around its head in a rippling puddle. In a few seconds, it was completely still.

Ash stared at the corpse with eyes wide as saucers. Ignoring the arms and legs, it still did look human. The horrified expression on its face was no different to what he had seen on the faces of those bodies upstairs. He had killed again, this time while completely in control of himself. Yes, he had no choice but to do it to save himself but it was still sickening to think he had driven the already stained blade into it and robbed it of its life. His stomach churned violently and he started to heave. Ash crouched over and loudly vomited.


	8. Mystery at Sea Chapter 8

**Mystery at Sea**

When Ash had recovered, he shakily got to his feet, glancing at the bloodied knife beside him with a grimace. Had he realised it was on his person sooner, he would have discarded it immediately. It was fortunate he hadn't, seeing as it had saved his life, but he wasn't going to pick it back up. He had no desire to carry it on his person any longer.

Ash hurried over to Pikachu and picked him up. "Pikachu! Pikachu, are you okay?"

Pikachu looked up with a weak smile. "Pikapi..."

"I see you've found our mutants." Morgan's voice came out of nowhere, accompanied by a crackle. Ash whirled around in shock, looking up and catching sight of a speaker attached to the wall.

"You!" Ash gritted his teeth angrily. "How could you do this? It's just evil! Why... why did you do these awful things?"

Morgan either couldn't hear him or ignored his questions as she didn't respond to them. "I have some news for you. This building has a self-destruct mechanism. It was to be used in the event we were discovered or if it was necessary for some other reason, such as right now. I have just activated it."

Ash's blood ran cold. "What?" he whispered in a shocked tone.

"I suppose you would like to know how long you have. It could be five minutes, half an hour... I'm not going to tell you." Morgan paused, briefly laughing. "I'll be getting out of here with the survivors right away. As for you... well, I suppose you can try and escape in time, but I'm not going to make it easy for you. I'm sure the other mutants would love to play with you."

A soft click followed. Ash clutched Pikachu close to his chest, gasping as he heard all the machines began to hum in unison. Slowly, the tubes all started to rise up. "Oh, no way. You've got to be kidding me!"

Ash took off toward the door at a sprint, legs pounding furiously, and he raced through the next room back to the stairs. He hurtled up them as fast as he possibly could. Behind him, he heard a cacophony of unearthly moans and cries that made his blood curdle. He reached the top of the stairs and burst through the door, pausing to catch his breath. Again, he was reminded of the carnage he had caused as he saw the bloody corpses.

"I never should have come here," Ash said faintly. "If I could turn back time and undo it all, I would." His eyes prickled and he hastily blinked back the oncoming tears. Now was not the time for this. Those things were coming after him and he needed to find Charizard and get out of here right away. Ash quickly made his way to the room where the Poké Balls were kept. It would take some time to find Charizard's Poké Ball.

Ash decided to try the end of the room where Pikachu's cage had been. Over there, he noticed that some of the shelves were empty or had few Poké Balls. He quickly looked through those shelves, his eyes alighting upon the one he was searching for. Ash reached out to pick up the Poké Ball, sighing in relief and smiling. "I've finally got you back, Charizard."

A loud stomping sound caught Ash's attention and he whirled around to see something come round the edge of the shelf toward him. It had once been the body of a human. Now it lacked arms and its torso was covered in a mass of writhing purple vines. The being let out an unearthly screech and the vines sprang forth, wrapping tightly around Ash's body in a crushing grip. Ash screamed as the vines tightened even more, threatening to break his bones.

Pikachu quickly acted, leaping off Ash's shoulder and nimbly landing upon one of the vines. He sank his teeth down into the soft vine as hard as he could. The creature cried out shrilly and the vines loosened slightly.

"Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt attack!" Ash exclaimed. As Pikachu threw a worried glance at him, he hastily added, "Don't worry about me, just do it." After all the shocks he had suffered today, one more wasn't going to matter.

Pikachu built up a massive charge of electricity in his body and released it. The electricity traveled along the vines, shocking the creature as well as Ash. The vines came away as the creature recoiled with an agonised scream. It collapsed to the floor, jerking about and twitching as sparks danced along its body. Ash stumbled back, gasping for breath.

"Whew. Thanks for that, Pikachu. Okay, let's hurry and get out of here." Ash picked Pikachu up and placed him on his shoulder, then raced out of the room.

The next creature that came at Ash moved so fast that it was only a blur in the corner of his eye and he never saw it coming until he felt a sharp, hot pain burning through his side. Ash collapsed to his knees with an agonised cry, tears stinging the back of his eyes. He raised his head to look up at a human body that lacked its arms. In their place were the sickles of a Scyther. Green and white wings flapped from its back.

Ash wasted no time in throwing Charizard's Poké Ball. Charizard appeared in a flash of light. "Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

Charizard opened its mouth wide, a ball of flame forming between its jaws and spurting out in a stream of flame that engulfed the mutant. It fell to the floor limply, smoke rising from its blackened body.

"Charizard, hold them off while I try to find a way out of here," Ash ordered.

Charizard nodded and turned its attention to a small human torso scuttling along on four striped yellow and purple legs. The Ariados head shot out a stream of webbing which Charizard blocked with its wing before letting out a ball of flame that engulfed it. It rolled away with an unearthly screech.

Ash stood up and gritted his teeth against the fresh pain. He lifted his shirt up to see a long, jagged gash with sticky blood seeping out. Ash shuddered at the sight and swallowed thickly. Hopefully it wasn't as bad as it looked.

"Pikapi, pika?" Pikachu asked worriedly.

"It's okay," Ash said, a faint tremor in his voice. He didn't have time to be worrying about his injuries. They had to get out of here before the place exploded. He hurried along the corridor, struggling to ignore the pain.

Ash headed down the first hallway leading off to the side. The door at the end however led to a room he hadn't seen before. He knew he was looking for a door that led to a spiralling staircase. His frustration grew as he continued to check the doors and still didn't find what he was searching for. Time was running out and he knew the wound that mutant human-Scyther hybrid had inflicted on him would need treatment. The blood was soaking through his jacket and coating his fingers. A sticky feeling ran down his hip and leg.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu could plainly see the worry on Ash's face.

"It's okay. I'll get us out of here, Pikachu," Ash reassured him, smiling. "I won't give up until you're safe."

Pikachu frowned, his ears lowering. "Chu..."

Ash tried another door and sighed in relief as he saw the stairs leading to the top. "I found it. Charizard! Let's go!" He looked to see Charizard hurrying along the corridor toward them. Ash made a move toward the steps and fresh pain exploded in him. He cried out and collapsed to his knees, his vision blurring as a dizzy spell took hold of him. Panic surged through him. He couldn't stop, not now.

"Pikapi! Pikapi!" Pikachu's voice sounded strangely far away. Ash raised his head, moaning. The pain was so intense. How could he keep moving like this?

Charizard quickly stepped forward, wrapping his strong arms around Ash and flapped his wings. Pikachu clambered onto the fire dragon's back and it shot upward, flying to the door above.

When they reached the door, Ash stumbled forward to open it and leaned against the doorframe, looking out at the island. It was hard to believe this ordinary looking island held such dark secrets below. Nobody would suspect a thing just by looking at it. He stepped outside, letting Charizard pass through.

"I think it should be okay if you fly off," Ash said. "That security thing is supposed to stop people getting in after all." At least he hoped it was the case. If it didn't work and Charizard couldn't handle it again, they would be in trouble. He clambered onto Charizard's back and Charizard took off to the sky.

Ash clung on, holding his breath nervously as they approached the edge of the island. Then they were past it and the island was behind them. His spirits lifted in relief. At last, they were safe. A weary feeling took hold of him and he rested his head against Charizard.

"I'm so tired," Ash whispered. His eyes felt like lead and his body was sluggish. The pain didn't seem so bothersome anymore. He didn't know if it was the blood loss or if he was genuinely tired. Maybe it was both. He didn't care. All he wanted to do was sleep. "I'm just going to close my eyes for a bit. We're nearly home so..." He trailed off, closing his eyes. The last thing he heard was Pikachu calling his name out in worry.

There was a loud boom as the island suddenly exploded, flames and smoke leaping high against the evening sky along with the sea water. Charizard felt the rush of heat pass over it and flapped its wings harder, flying faster back to Pallet Town.


	9. Mystery at Sea Chapter 9

**Mystery at Sea**

Tracey walked up to the front door of the Ketchum residence and knocked soundly. A minute later, Delia opened the door.

"Hello, Tracey," Delia said upon seeing him. "What can I do for you?" She stepped aside, gesturing. "Please, come in."

"I hope I'm not bothering you." Tracey walked into the house, looking around. "I was just wondering how Ash is doing."

Delia glanced up at the stairs with a troubled look on her face. "I'm afraid there's been no change in him." She let out a small sigh. The image of her young son lying on her porch, covered in blood and unconscious, was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. It was unbelievable how many injuries he had on his body, not to mention the bruises. Just what had happened to him?

Tracey slowly nodded, gazing at his feet despondently. "I suppose he hasn't said anything about what happened out there." He looked up to see Delia shake her head.

"It must have been awful," Delia whispered. "I can't imagine what it could have been. Whatever it was, it's affected Ash so badly. Last night, I was woken up by the most awful sound. It was chilling. Then I realised it was Ash screaming because he was having a nightmare." Tears prickled the back of her eyes. "The first night after he came back home from the hospital, I turned the light off outside his room and he was screaming for me to turn it back on. He still won't sleep with it off." She put a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking.

Tracey chewed his bottom lip, watching her with an agonised expression. "It's all my fault," he whispered, clenching his fists. "I shouldn't have told him about that island."

"No, Tracey, don't blame yourself," Delia said quickly. "You didn't know what lay out there. None of us did. I shouldn't have let him go out to that island. I should have known an island that appeared out of nowhere would be suspicious."

Tracey slowly exhaled. "Blaming ourselves isn't going to do any good. I wish there was something we could do for Ash."

"Me too." Delia was quiet for a moment. "I really wish I could help him. I hate seeing him in such a state."

"Well, I hope things will change soon." Tracey walked to the door. "I'd better be getting back to the lab now. Still got a few chores to do for the day."

"Alright. I'll be over later with some freshly baked treats," Delia said. "No doubt Professor Oak's so busy he's forgotten to eat anything again."

"That sounds great. I look forward to seeing what you bring for us," Tracey said, stepping outside. "See you then."

Delia closed the door behind him then headed upstairs to Ash's bedroom. "Ash?" she spoke, looking at the huddled lump on the bed.

Ash rolled over, looking at her with wide, dark eyes. "Yeah?"

"It's lunchtime soon. Is there anything you want?"

"Not really."

"Alright. I'll call you when it's ready."

Ash listened to the sound of her feet as she walked away and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. Ever since he returned from that place, he had shut himself up at home. It felt safe here in his own house. He couldn't bring himself to go outside. Even when he was safe at home, he was still scared. Ash hadn't told anyone about what had happened on that island because the memories still terrified him. He wanted to lock them away at the back of his mind and never have to look at them ever again.

x-o-x-o-x

Ash ran through the corridor as fast as possible. His legs were aching and he was growing rapidly out of breath, but he couldn't stop. Behind him, he could hear unearthly moans and agonised screams.

They were after him and he knew why. They wanted revenge, because he had killed them, and now they were coming for him.

Ash dared to look over his shoulder and wished he hadn't.

The sight of those lurching bodies, their bloodied, rotten faces twisted in rage, with their arms stretched out toward him chilled him to the bone. Fear stabbed through his heart, sharp and cold. He looked away and kept running, into the dead end.

"No!" Ash slammed into the wall, beating on it with his fists. Tears dripped down his pale cheeks and he turned around, whimpering. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Please, forgive me." He sank to his knees and clutched his head. Great gulping sobs burst from his lungs.

A vile stench invaded his nostrils. He looked at their decaying feet inching closer. His body quivered and he moaned.

One of them reached him first, bending down so that Ash could see the guttural snarl on their face and the bloodshot eyes rolling around in their skull. Bony hands reached out toward him.

Ash sat up in bed, gasping furiously. His pajamas were drenched in sweat. It was pouring down him in buckets. Ash curled up in a ball, shaking with quiet, sniffling sobs.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu had woken up and crawled over to lick his chin.

"I want it stop, Pikachu." Ash pulled Pikachu into his arms and held him tightly, burying his face in Pikachu's fur. "I just want it to stop." He screwed his eyes shut and continued to cry.

x-o-x-o-x

"Ash... no... please... no..."

The plea fell on deaf ears. With a swift slice, the knife had sliced through the trembling girl's throat. Dawn crumpled in a heap, the light fading from her eyes as blood fanned around her head in a crimson halo.

Ash looked around at all the bodies. Every single one of them was someone he knew, someone he cared about. Each one of them was dead, slain by his hand.

"Pikapi..." The weak voice was so faint he barely heard it.

Ash turned around to see Pikachu looking up at him with eyes full of sadness and fear. His tiny little body quivered.

"It's okay, Pikachu," Ash spoke in a warm voice, smiling as he knelt before him. "I sent everyone to a better place. We're going to join them now." With a sharp thrust, he plunged the blade into his best friend's heart.

Ash awoke suddenly, forcing back the bile rising in his throat. The images he had seen in that horrifying dream burned his mind. He could still clearly hear their pleading voices. The young trainer shakily rose from the bed, taking care not to wake Pikachu as he climbed down the ladder.

His mind felt hazy and he was barely conscious of what he was doing as he walked through the house, going down the stairs. He only knew one thing, that he wanted the bad dreams to stop and he wanted them to stop now. He wanted to make all this pain go away. He wanted to suffer no more.

Ash walked into the kitchen and went straight to the wooden block sitting on the counter, displaying a row of knife handles. He wrapped his hand around one and pulled it free, gazing at the sharp, glistening blade. A dreamy smile crossed his face. He would end it now. At last he would be at peace.

Ash lowered the blade to his wrist and pressed it down. A sharp prick of pain flashed through his arm as the blade cut through the skin.

An image flashed through his mind of Pikachu's sad face. Then he saw him, his mother, his friends standing around his grave, their faces streaked with tears.

Had he fought so hard to survive and escape that island just to end it like this? Was it really worth causing so much pain to everyone who cared about him?

The knife fell to the floor with a loud clatter and Ash clutched at his bleeding wrist, watching the sticky red liquid ooze free. Tears pooled up in his eyes and he let out a sob. How could he have actually wanted to kill himself? What had he been thinking?

Ash rushed to the sink and turned on the tap, washing away the blood. Then he rummaged in a drawer, locating a pack of band-aids. After putting one over the cut, he washed the knife and replaced it before leaving the kitchen. He walked back upstairs and crawled into his bed. Pikachu mumbled sleepily and Ash pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry," Ash whispered to Pikachu, pulling the sheet over his shoulders and closing his eyes.

x-o-x-o-x

"Good morning, sweetie," Delia said cheerfully as Ash came into the kitchen. The table was already laden with food for breakfast. "Did you manage to sleep okay last night?"

"I had bad dreams again." Ash slid into one of the chairs, reaching for a slice of a toast.

Delia quietly sighed. She wished there was something that could be done. She hated seeing him suffer like this. Then she noticed the band-aid on his wrist. That hadn't been there yesterday. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Huh?" Ash looked confused for a moment then he realised she was looking at the band-aid and felt his gut twist. How could he tell her what he'd actually tried to do? "Yeah..."

Delia frowned. There was something about the way he looked. He seemed almost guilty. "You didn't... do it on purpose, did you?" she asked, dreading the answer he would give. His hesitation confirmed her worst fears. "Oh, Ash..." She walked around the table to enfold him in her arms. "Oh, my poor baby. Please don't ever do that again. I don't want to see you hurting yourself."

"I won't." Ash choked back a lump in his throat, feeling a mix of relief and guilt at her not realising the real reason for the cut. She would be horrified if she knew the truth. "I promise."

"I know this has been hard on you." Delia drew back. "You've got to stay strong. Don't let this destroy you. Please. I couldn't bear to lose you. Pikachu couldn't either. Right, Pikachu?" She looked toward the mouse Pokémon.

"Pika." Pikachu nodded.

"I'll do my best." Ash placed the toast down and reached for the butter. It was a hard battle, struggling to cope with the memories and the knowledge of the things he had done, and he knew he couldn't afford to lose.

After breakfast, Ash returned to his room with Pikachu. He stood before the window, looking out at the town, and pushed it open. A refreshing breeze of air greeted him. Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder, looking at the view along with him.

"I'm going to get better, Pikachu." Ash clenched a fist. "It will be okay." He looked at Pikachu, managing a smile


End file.
